Suicide Prevention

Measure

Why This Indicator is Important

Suicide,
a potentially preventable public health problem, has been a leading cause of
death nationwide for decades. Its impact, whether measured in deaths, attempts,
medical costs, economic impact, or effects on the survivors, is enormous.Risk factors for suicide include previous
suicide attempts, history of mental disorders such as depression, history of
alcohol and substance abuse, family history of suicide, barriers to accessing
mental health treatment, loss (relational, social, work, or financial),
physical illness, and easy access to lethal methods. Males are four times more
likely to die from suicide than females although women report attempting
suicide during their lifetime about three times as often as men.

In
2006, more than 33,000 suicides occurred in the U.S.; the equivalent of 91
suicides per day. In 2007, there were 395,320 people treated in emergency
departments for self-inflicted injuries and 165,997 were hospitalized
due to self-inflicted injury. It is estimated that there is
one suicide for every 25 attempts.Caucasians are twice as likely to
complete suicide as African Americans, and the highest rate of completions is
found in older adults, particularly white males aged seventy-five and older. The impact of
suicide is devastating whether measured in terms of numbers of deaths,
attempts, economic and medical benefit costs, or the impact on survivors who
have lost someone close to them to suicide.

How Are We Doing?

The
suicide rate in Midland County is slightly higher than in Michigan and the U.S. (13.1 per 100,000 in Midland County
versus 12.9 in Michigan and 12.6 in the U.S.).